We did have a good visit to Deja Brew – Laugh A Latte in Meridian on March 23, 2018 at 112 East Idaho Avenue, Meridian, ID 83642. Phone – (208) 957-6442. Hours – Mon: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Tue: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Wed: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Thu: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Fri: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Sat: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Sun: 6:30AM-3:00PM. Good ambiance with plenty of open seating. It can be a little noisy, though; They need to turn the music back somewhat. You must order your food at the counter, but they will generally bring it to your table. They do have a good Breakfast/Lunch Menu with many varieties of coffee and tea. Their Dinner/Wine/Beer Menu, with a good selection of beer and wine. We will return to this bistro in Meridian. It is definitely a 4-Star restaurant/bistro. Here are some photos. Enjoy!

Their logo on the street side windows.

Robin checking the menu. The interior is very open, but can be noisy.

Virginia Dare Pinot Noir. A really good wine that goes well with my breakfast of Eggs Benedict and Robin’s Cobb Salad. Surprising. And yes, it is made in Virginia with Russian River (CA) grapes.

Robin had a Cobb Salad.

I had Eggs Benedict. The potatoes were good. Different. Just a little salty.

Ah yes. These were fun meals. Idaho Trout Papillote with Candy Heirloom Carrots and Mashed Potatoes. Served with a delicious 2006 Alves de Sousa Douro Estação (Portugal). From Wikipedia, an En papillote is –

En papillote (French pronunciation: ​[ɑ̃ papijɔt]; French for “in parchment”), or al cartoccio in Italian, is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material, such as a paper bag or aluminium foil, may be used. The parcel holds in moisture to steam the food. The pocket is created by overlapping circles of aluminum foil and parchment paper and then folding them tightly around the food to create a seal. A papillote should be opened at the table to allow people to smell the aroma when it opens.
The moisture may be from the food itself or from an added moisture source, such as water, wine, or stock. This method is most often used to cook fish or vegetables, but lamb and poultry can also be cooked en papillote. Choice of herbs, seasonings and spices depend on the particular recipe being prepared. The pouch should be sealed with careful folding.

We used Apple Brandy for moisture.

Idaho Trout en Papillote with Mashed Potatoes and Candy Carrots.

To serve the papillote, Melissa d’Arabian says,

To serve, cut open the packets and serve directly in the parchment on a plate or remove the fish to the plate using a spatula, being sure you don’t leave the juices behind.

This was our first visit to Juniper Restaurant in Boise at 211 N 8th St, (208) 342-1142. Really very good food. It can get very noisy so go prepared. It was also great to have Kelsey join us there for brunch. It was great seeing her and talking to her. She has had some fantastic journeys. Come back soon, Kelsey.
The food is prepared fresh and from reading the menu, mostly from local or Idaho products. Everything was hot and had very good presentation. Look at their lunch and dinner Menu or their Brunch and Lunch Menus. Here is what we had. Enjoy! We did.

Well, 2 out of 3 isn’t bad. Le Peep in Meridian, ID, at 3036 North Eagle Road, Meridian, ID, 208-629-0155, is a 3-Star restaurant out of 5-Stars. On the other hand, Alejandro’s Mexican Restaurant in Marsing, ID at 208 Main St, (208) 896-5339 and Sakana Sushi, 7107 W. State St., Garden City, ID 83714, (208)-853-4993, Mon.-Thur.: 11:00am – 10:00pm, Fri.-Sat.: 11:00am-11:00pm and Sun.: 12:00pm – 9:00pm are both 5-Star restaurants. I urge you to look at these links and visit the restaurants and make up your own mind.

Le Peeps problem is in their Hollandaise Sauce. It is advertised as Hollandaise, but it is far from it. Not bad flavors, just not Hollandaise and an unexpected taste. Plus, the potatoes were cold as noted in the caption above. Just can not give Le Peep a higher rating. Two of the better restaurants we went to were –

And that mean “Party-Hearty”! Time for lamb. Or Laphroaig. Or Glendronach. Or maybe some Corned Beef with some Cabbage. I am going to make some Irish Soda Bread, or maybe an Irish Brown Soda Bread, for a St Patrick’s Day party on Saturday. Gonna wear my kilt, too! And the socks that my niece Beth made me. We just made some Irish Stew, that turned out pretty darn good. Just need to tighten the sauce a little. Doesn’t this just look scrumptious? And yes, the Boise Farmers Market at 10th and Grove in Boise opens up on April 2, 2016! Yea!!!

Such a wonderful Valentines weekend spent in the kitchen making the meals for Robin and I to enjoy! And that we did! “And if you [read this article] in the next 5 minutes, we’ll include a link to the recipes!” where you can find some of the recipes for some of these treats. Boise Foodie Blog Recipes! Enjoy these photos and the recipes. And yes, the Hollandaise and Béarnaise Sauces were all made from scratch! Most of the items here are Idaho products. Zhoo Zhoo Winery Claret was served with the Valentines Dinner. 2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Rebecca’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was used in the bœuf bourguignon (French Beef Stew). Cheers!

Flowers for Robin
Loving her is easier than anything I’ve ever done before!

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar; add egg and mix well. Add Milk and Ricotta, or cream cheese, to the mixture alternately w/dry ingredients. Mix in orange rind and juice.
2. Fill greased muffin cups to ½ full. Baked in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and pop doughnuts out of pan.
3. Roll doughnuts first in melted butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
For variation, you can also garnish with strawberries & whipped cream.

Yup! Today isNational Eggs Benedict Day. So treat yourself! Have them for lunch or dinner, if breakfast is already past for you. There is a recipe for Hollandaise Sauce in the recipe file above. Enjoy!

We saw this reccipe on a competition on the Foodnetwork. Decided we needed to make it. Think of it like a Beef Wellington, only made with salmon. We adjusted the recipe for the two of us. That is, I used 2-4 ounce Copper River Salmon fillets instead of a 2 pound side of salmon. Here is the basic recipe. Adjust it as necessary. Salmon En Croûte. Here are some photos of the cooking and prep process. Take your time and all will come out just right. Have fun with the recipe. The recipe for the Hollandaise sauce is in the recipe file on this blog. Here it is, too: Hollandaise Sauce. Cheers!

In the culinary arts, the term en croute (pronounced “on KROOT”) indicates a food that has been wrapped in pastry dough and then baked in the oven. Salmon en Croûte is a popular recipe. Pâté and brie cheese are also frequently prepared en croute.
One of the classic en croute recipes is Beef Wellington, or in French, Boeuf en Croûte.
Traditionally, the type of pastry used for making Pâté en Croûte is a simple straight pastry dough called pâte à pâté, or pâté pastry. But today, puff pastry is frequently used for most en croute recipes.[http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/En-Croute.htm]

The salmon packet is ready to go into the oven at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes.

I reported earlier that we received a luscious, fresh Alaskan salmon from our neighbor. Here are two breakfasts that we made. I updated the Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce and I think this one is a little better. Another layer of light flavor. Great on the Eggs Benedict with Lox we had. Would also be good on asparagus.
Both of the breakfasts below have Robin’s Icebox Lox in them. Again, this one really turned out great. Take a good look at the photos – enlarge them using Left-Click – and enjoy! Both of the recipes listed are really easy to do. The Hollandaise may be the most difficult of the two. And just to note: The Eggs Benedict is not an everyday breakfast, although it would be good!

Thanks to all of these readers of this blog!

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A Chef’s Life

A super program on PBS usually on Saturday mornings. (9am in Boise) Great venue and information. "... located in the low country of eastern North Carolina. It follows the trials and travails of Chef Vivian Howard and her husband, Ben Knight, and their farm-to-table restaurant, Chef & the Farmer, exploring both traditional and modern applications of quintessential Southern ingredients ... Much more dynamic than a typical cooking show, A Chef’s Life is a character-driven documentary and cooking series ... "

Snake River AVA (Idaho Wine Districts) Happenings

Follow what is happening in the Idaho wine districts, Snake River AVA, Eagle Foothills AVA and the Lewis and Clark AVA. Events, tastings, dinners and other exciting happenings. Look for BNB's at a winery.

Food Topic Index

-------------------------------Think Local!! Buy Local!!

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Buy Local!

If you are not from Idaho, think about Buying Local in Your area! As for us, we have lived in Idaho since 1982. We Buy Idaho wherever possible.

Acme Baked Shop, Boise

Available at the Boise COOP. Some of the best bread in Boise and all local!! They make the bread for the 10 Barrel Brew Pub, Angell's Bar and Grill, Salt Tears, all here in Boise. Awesome rye bread that actually tastes like rye bread. And the baguettes .... Wonderful. (208) 284-5588 or runsvold2000@gmail.com

Chef Jake Sandberg, Crispeats

Desert Mountain Grass Fed Beef (formerly Homestead Natural Beef)

Ed and Debbie Wilsey are in the process of forming a new company, Desert Mountain Grass Fed Beef, with Bob and Jessica Howard of Howard Ranch in Hammett. The company will only sell whole animals to the Boise Co-op and Whole Foods stores in Boise and Utah. They will also be at the Boise Farmers Market.

Food References and Recipes

MFT Sauces and Rubs

www.mftsauceandrub.com Awesome Root Beer Sauce which is great for baked beans. Click the graphic to see their products.

Mommy’s Kitchen

Recipes from India – Nithya’s Corner

"I am happy to share simple and delicious Indian and International recipes with you. I am a food loving person and love experimenting with different flavors and spices. The recipes are from my personal experience - the food I have tasted, what I have seen and learned, and of course, my family's favorite dishes. "

Recipes From Sunayanna’s Kitchen (Indian)

Some really unique and good Indian recipes. "I belong to the city of nawabs ‘Lucknow’. This city is famous for its culture,textiles and above all its lip-smacking aromatic ' Awadhi Food ' which includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Awadhi/Lucknawi food has a complete History of its own . "

Recipes From The Mediterranean Area

Regional and Oktober Fest Recipes

There are a lot of recipes here.

Sauer Kraut Recipes

Soup and Chowder Recipes

Recipes from "My Recipes"

Deep South Dish Recipes

The Recipes of Greece

Tasty Mexican Recipes

The Shiksa In The Kitchen

Great Jewish recipes!

-------------------------------Some Great Boise Restaurants.

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Asiago’s – Italian

Bella Aquila, Eagle, ID

775 S Rivershore Ln., Eagle, ID 83616 (208) 938-1900

Bar Gernika – Basque Pub and Eatery

202 S Capitol Blvd, Boise (208) 344-2175 (Checked)

Chef Larry’s Cafe, Titusville, FL

1111 South Washington Street, Titusville, Florida

Capitol Cellars

Awesome food and wine!

Cottonwood Grille

913 W River St., Boise (208) 333.9800 cg@cottonwoodgrille.com

Enrique’s Mexican Restaurant

482 Main St., Kuna (208) 922-5169 New name. Was El Gallo Giro. Same owners and kitchen. The Best Mexican restaurant in the Boise/Kuna area, bar none!